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((The 17 pages of St. Patrick's Day + Triple Saturday -- Page 5 of 20))
Royo grimaced. There was no good way to answer that question directly. So he avoided it. “You must know by now that I will use your gift. I will not let it go to waste. Your friend Secho would be reborn with me, absolutely.”

And Royo saw Malast hesitate.

The one called Elise chimed in. “Why don’t you just admit that you’re too scared to fight Lord Darksteel and surrender?” she said.

What an obnoxious woman--and made all the more so, because he knew that she wasn’t wrong.

He didn’t have the energy to argue with her, though. What would be the point? To keep up appearances? Everyone present must have been able to tell that he was an exhausted wreck.

Besides, it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t achieve victory here by winning her over. Or any of these other interlopers, either. They were inconsequential. It was only Malast whom he needed to convince.

And judging from the Idle God’s expression and sudden quietude, Royo felt like that might just be possible, after all. Malast probably didn’t care one iota about any of these people or their opinions. Malast only wanted his friend back.

“Do you truly wish to see Secho again, or do you not?” said Royo.

“Ugh, you’re not really listening to this, are you?” said the surface-woman. “He is obviously just--”

“Be silent,” said Malast, with familiar force.

And she was. Her mouth continued to open, but no words came out.

The one called Zeff grabbed Malast by the throat. “What have you done to her?!” he roared.

“Begone with you.” The Staff of Unso shined in Malast’s hand.

And the one called Zeff vanished into thin air along with his ghost.

Royo blinked, thinking for a second that Malast had just annihilated the two of them. But then he saw them appear in the viewing window, alongside the Senmurai, whose body language suggested that he was quite surprised to see them.

Silence fell as no one else dared speak.

Even Royo was hesitant.

At length, Malast finally asked him something. “...Why would the Iron One believe that you would abuse Secho’s power?”

A dangerous question, that one. “Because he is mistaken,” said Royo, hoping that wasn’t a foolish thing to say. Perhaps that could be helped with a qualifying follow up. “But of course, I cannot read his mind and know his reasoning with complete certainty. Perhaps he merely thinks that none should wield such power.”

Malast sighed that familiar sigh of his. “Well, he wouldn’t be the first.”

Madly and impulsively, Royo wanted to say that Malast should simply ask Hector himself, but he was fortunately able to stop himself. No good would come of bringing Hector into this conversation, he felt.

“I think I’ll ask him,” said Malast.

It took everything Royo had not to scowl as he watched Hector and his ghost vanish from the viewing window and reappear in front of Malast.

Goddammit.